Communication systems and methods to transmit data among a plurality of computing systems in processing benefit redemption

ABSTRACT

Communication systems and methods to transmit data among a plurality of computing systems in processing benefit redemption, including a portal configured to communicate with transaction terminals, reward hosts and issues processors. In response to a reward balance inquiry from a transaction terminal, the portal communicates with a respective reward host to obtain the balance, communicates with an issuer processor to obtain a one-time use account number, and provides the transaction terminal with the balance and the account number. The transaction terminal an authorization request for a payment transaction made using the account number. In response to the authorization request being received in the issuer processor, the portal communicates with the issuer processor to identify the payment transaction and communicates with the reward host to perform a reward redemption to support the payment transaction.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Prov. U.S. Pat. App. Ser. No.62/012,565, filed Jun. 16, 2014, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference.

The present application relates to U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2012/0191525entitled “Systems and Methods to Facilitate Loyalty RewardTransactions,” U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2011/0087530 entitled “Systemsand Methods to Provide Loyalty Programs,” U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2010/0211445 entitled “Incentives Associated with Linked FinancialAccounts,” and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0271262 entitled“Authorization System with Split Messaging,” the entire disclosures ofwhich applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

At least some embodiments disclosed in the present application relate todistributed computing with a communication system connecting a pluralityof separate computer systems in general and more particularly but notlimited to a communication method and system configured with separateresources on different computers for benefit redemption.

BACKGROUND

In a system having multiple computer systems connected via one or morecomputer networks, different portions of computing resources forprocessing a task may reside in different computer systems. The use of apredetermined communication protocol allows the computer systems tocommunicate with each other in a predetermined way to utilize theresources that are distributed among the computer systems for theprocessing of the task. Improvements to the communication protocol canimprove the performance of the system as a whole and/or improve thefunctionalities of the system as a whole. In some instances,improvements to the communication protocol can improve the performanceof some of the individual computer systems and/or improve thefunctionalities of the individual computer systems.

For example, a typical electronic payment processing system may includeindividual computing systems such as a transaction handler, one or moreissuer processors, one or more acquirer processors, and transactionterminals. The individual computing systems in the electronic paymentprocessing system are generally connected via one or more computernetworks. Resources for processing a payment from a consumer to amerchant are typically distributed among the computing systems connectedvia computer networks.

For example, a typical transaction terminal of a merchant is configuredwith the resources to obtain consumer account identification informationof a consumer to initiate a transaction message and communicate thetransaction message to an acquirer processor for processing; a typicalmerchant account is controlled by an acquirer processor; a typicalconsumer account is controlled by an issuer processor; the transactionhandler of the electronic payment processing system interconnects theacquirer processors and the issuer processors and has the resources toroute messages from acquirer processors to responsible issuersprocessors based on consumer account identification information androute messages from issuer processors to responsible acquirer processorsbased on identification information of merchant accounts.

U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2011/0087530, for example, discloses a datastructure for a communication protocol in an electronic paymentprocessing system, in which the data field for the message typeidentifier in a transaction message is extended to accommodate anidentifier for crediting reward and an identifier for redeeming reward.As a result, the communication protocol is extended to process not onlypayment transactions in financial currencies, but also the crediting andredeeming of reward benefits.

The entire disclosures of the above discussed patent documents arehereby incorporated herein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which like referencesindicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 shows a communication system to process reward redemptionaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a system to process reward redemption according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a method to process reward redemption according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system to provide services based on transactiondata according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a system to provide information based on transaction dataaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a transaction terminal according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an account identifying device according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a data processing system according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a system and method is configured to process rewardredemption using an electronic payment processing network withoutchanging the communication protocol used for payment processing withinthe electronic payment processing network.

FIG. 1 shows a communication system to process reward redemptionaccording to one embodiment. In FIG. 1, the communication systemincludes a plurality of separate computing systems connected via one ormore computer networks.

For example, the computing systems in FIG. 1 include a transactionterminal (105) disposed in a store of a merchant, an acquirer processor(147) in control of a merchant account (148), other acquirer processors(553) controlling other merchant accounts, an issuer processor (145)controlling account numbers (557), other issuer processors (555), suchas issuer processor (145) controlling a consumer account illustrated inFIG. 5. The issuer processor (145) controlling the account numbers (557)for reward redemption in FIG. 1 may or may not be the same as the issuerprocessor (145) controlling the consumer account (146). The accountinformation (142) of the consumer account (146) of the user of thereward account (525) is used as the user ID (551) in one embodiment; andin other embodiments, other types of user IDs, such as a member ID, aphone number, an email address, etc., can be used to identify the rewardaccount (525) via a registration process.

The computing system in FIG. 1 further includes a portal (143) incontrol of the reward account (525) of the user and a reward host (513)configured to facilitate the reward balance inquiry (503), account setupcommunications (515), and redemption communications (519), as furtherdiscussed below.

In FIG. 1, the different computing systems have different resources forthe processing of reward redemptions. For example, the reward host (513)is in control of the reward account (525) of the user. The issuerprocessor (145) is in control of accounts represented by the accountnumbers (557). The transaction handler (103) is configured with routinginformation to route messages among the issuer processors (145, 555) andthe acquirer processors (147, 553). The acquirer processors (147, 553)are in control of the merchant accounts (e.g., 148) to receive paymentsinitiated on the transaction terminals (e.g., 105).

FIG. 1 illustrates an example using one transaction terminal (105). In atypical implementation, multiple transaction terminals (105) can besimilarly connected to the portal (143) and respective acquirerprocessors (147, 553).

FIG. 1 illustrates an example using one reward host (513). In a typicalimplementation, the portal (143) can support multiple reward hosts (513)in a similar way.

In FIG. 1, a communication protocol is configured to allow the use ofthe electronic payment processing network, including the acquirerprocessor (147), the transaction handler (145), and the issuer processor(145) to process the redemption of rewards using existing communicationmessages standards for the electronic payment processing network.

To facilitate the reward redemption, the portal (143) is provided tocommunicate with the transaction terminal (105), the reward host (513)and the issuer processor (145) to set up accounts for payment processingduring balance inquiry and to process reward redemption duringauthorization of payments made using the account numbers (557), asfurther discussed below.

In one embodiment, the portal (143) of FIG. 1 is configured to present auser interface that allows a user to provide data to associate user ID(551) with the identification of the reward account (525) in aregistration process.

After the registration data associating the user ID (551) with theidentification of the reward account (525) is stored in the datawarehouse (149) of the portal (143), the portal (143) may process thereward redemption operations in response to the user ID (551).

For example, when the transaction terminal (105) receives the user ID(551) from a user to process a purchase, the transaction terminal (105)transmits to the portal (143) a reward balance inquiry (503) thatidentifies the user ID (551).

Based on the registration data associating the user ID (551) with theidentification of the reward account (525), the portal (143) of FIG. 1performs a reward balance communication (511) with the reward host (513)to obtain the current balance of the reward account (525).

Further, the portal (143) performs an account setup communication (515)with a predetermined issuer processor (145) to obtain an account number(509), selected from a plurality of account numbers (557) controlled bythe issuer processor (145), for the reward transaction that is predictedto follow the reward balance inquiry (503).

As a response to the reward balance inquiry (503), the portal (143)stores data associating the account number (509) with the reward account(525) identified by the user ID (551) and transmits the balance response(505) to the transaction terminal (105). The balance response (505)illustrated in FIG. 1 identifies not only the reward balance (507) forthe reward account (525) identified via the user ID (551) but also theaccount number (509) that is obtained via the account setupcommunication (515) and that can be used to initiate a paymenttransaction that corresponds to the redemption of rewards from thereward balance (507).

For example, after obtaining the balance response (505), the transactionterminal (105) may present the reward balance (507) to the user of theuser ID (551) and present a user interface that allows the user torequest the redemption of a portion of the reward balance (507), or thereward balance (507) in its entirety.

Upon receiving the user instructions to redeem rewards consistent withthe reward balance (507), the transaction terminal (105) performs anauthorization communication (517) with the acquirer processor (147)using the account number (509). The authorization communication (517)includes an authorization request transmitted to the acquirer processor(147) for propagation, via the transaction handler (103), to the issuerprocessor (145) identified by the account number (509), and anauthorization response propagated back from the issuer processor (145),via the transaction handler (103) and acquirer processor (147), to thetransaction terminal (105).

In one embodiment, the authorization communication (517) is incompliance with existing communication standard for payment transactionsin the electronic payment processing network, such as a paymenttransaction made in consumer account (146)

In FIG. 1, in response to the authorization request identifying theaccount number (509), the issuer processor (145) performs a rewardredemption communication (519) with the portal (143), which in turnperforms a redemption communication (521) with the reward host (513).

In FIG. 1, the reward redemption communication (519) includes acommunication from the issuer processor (145) to the portal (143) torequest reward redemption for the account number (509). In response, theportal (143) identifies the reward account (525) based on the dataassociating the account number (509) with the reward account (525),previously established via the account setup communication (515). Theportal (143) uses the redemption communication (521) to requestredemption of rewards from the reward account (525) in accordance withthe transaction amount specified in the authorization request receivedin the issuer processor (145). The redemption communication (521)includes a message transmitted from the reward host (513) to the portal(143), indicating whether the redemption is successful or not.

For example, the reward redemption operations may include the rewardshost (513) reserving the portion of the redeemed rewards for subsequentsettlement. For example, the reward redemption operations may includethe rewards host (513) removing the redeemed rewards from the rewardaccount (525) to hold the redeemed rewards for pending settlement.

The result of the redemption operations is propagated from the rewardhost (513) to the issuer processor (145) via the portal (143) using theredemption communication (521) and the reward redemption communication(519). Based on the result, the issuer processor (145) generates theauthorization response for the payment transaction requested using theaccount number (509), approving or rejecting the payment transaction.

During settlement of the payment transaction, the issue processor (145)provides the funds according to the payment transaction to the merchantaccount (148) controlled by the acquirer processor (147); and the rewardhost (513) provides funds corresponding to aggregated redeemed rewardsto the issuer processor (145).

Thus, the system of FIG. 1 includes a just-in-time account setupestablished via the account setup communication (515) responsive to thereward balance inquiry (503). The just-in-time account setup assigns avirtual account, a debit account, or a prepaid account for a subsequentreward redemption implemented using a payment transaction in theassigned account. The assigned account may be limited to one-time useand/or limited to be used within a predetermined period of time afterthe setup. A payment transaction made in the assigned account can beprocessed within an electronic payment processing network in astandardized way like a payment transaction made in a typical consumeraccount (146). However, the processing of the payment transaction in theassigned account at the issuer processor is enhanced and/or facilitatedvia the redemption communications (519 and 521) established via theportal (143). Using the redemption communications (519 and 521) thereward redemption from the reward account (525) can be processedjust-in-time to support the payment transaction processed in the issuerprocessor (145) for the payment made using the assigned account.

For example, a reward redemption platform of one embodiment (e.g.,implemented via the portal (143)) is configured to associate a virtualaccount under control of an issuer processor with a reward account (525)during the balance inquiry (551) of the reward account (525). Theaccount number (509) of the virtual account is provided with the balance(507) of the reward account (525) to the transaction terminal (105),which allows a user to specify a redemption amount that does not exceedthe reward balance (505). The transaction terminal (105) than uses theaccount number (509) provided within the balance result (505) responsiveto the balance inquiry (503) to initiate a payment transaction in thevirtual account. The issuer processor (145) is configured to communicatewith the reward redemption platform (e.g., implemented via the portal(143)) to convert the redeemed rewards to funds for a payment providedby the issuer processor (145) to the acquirer processor (147) of themerchant account (148) via an electronic payment processing network.Thus, the reward transactions can be performed using the electronicpayment processing network with minimum impact on the electronic paymentprocessing network.

Thus, the reward redemption platform (e.g., implemented via the portal(143)) allows the redemption of reward benefits (e.g., loyalty rewards,such as loyalty points, miles, virtual currency) to be performed usingthe payment processing network configured to processing payments inconsumer accounts (e.g., 146), without requiring a transaction be madein the consumer payment account using a currency issued by a government.

In one embodiment, virtual accounts or one-time use prepaid accounts areused to manage benefits in the reward accounts such that the rewardredemption can be performed as payment transactions in the virtualaccounts or one-time use prepaid accounts using the payment processingnetwork.

For example, a reward redemption platform is configured to communicatewith an issuer processor to assign a one-time use account for theredemption of reward benefits of a user. The assignment of the virtualaccount can be performed in response to a balance inquiry in thepreparation for reward redemption. For example, in response to a balanceinquiry from a merchant's computing system, the one-time use account isassigned and the account number is communicated to the transactionterminal to initiate a payment that is actually funded by the rewardbenefits. The transaction messages from the transaction terminal, to theissuer processor via the respective acquirer processor and thetransaction handler are processed in a way as the processing of messagesfor a payment transaction in a consumer account (e.g., a credit account,a debit account, a prepaid account, etc.). At the backend, the issuerprocessor requests helps from the portal in redeeming rewards to supportthe payment transaction,

The account assigned for benefit redemption may be a one-time account, avirtual account, a prepaid account, a debit account and/or a privatelabel account. For example, the virtual account can be assigned for theredemption of the reward benefits of the user within a predeterminedperiod of time; and after the period of time, the virtual account is nolonger valid. In the embodiment, the account is established and/orassigned solely for the redemption of reward benefits; and the accountis funded solely by the reward benefits in one or more of the rewardaccounts of the user.

In one embodiment, the account information of the virtual account istransmitted to a merchant (or the user) in a response to a rewardbalance inquiry. The balance information allows the user to request theredemption of a valid amount of rewards from the reward account of theuser and thus reduces the chance of rejection due to the request of aredemption amount exceeding the balance of the reward account. Theaccount information allows the transaction terminal of the merchant toinitiate a payment transaction in the virtual account in the paymentprocessing network without modifications to the transaction terminal ofthe merchant, and without modifications to the acquirer processor of themerchant. In one embodiment, the payment transaction in the virtualaccount is performed substantially in the same way as a paymenttransaction in the consumer account of the user; and arrangements toenable the benefit redemption are discussed below.

In one embodiment, when the transaction request in the virtual accountis received in the issuer processor of the virtual account, the issuerprocessor is configured to communicate with the reward redemptionplatform for benefit processing in accordance with the informationstored to set up the virtual account and/or to assign the virtualaccount for the redemption of the reward benefits of the user. Inresponse, the reward redemption platform is configured communicate withthe host of the reward benefits to reserve, convert, and/or deduct thereward benefits of the user for payment to the merchant.

For example, during the authorization phase of the transaction in thevirtual account, the transaction amount for the redemption is specifiedvia an authorization request and in accordance with the reward balancereported by the host of the reward benefits. During the authorization ofthe transaction in the issuer processor, the issuer processor requeststhe reward redemption platform to authorize the transaction; and thereward redemption platform communicates with the host of reward benefitsto reserve the amount of benefits to be redeemed and provideauthorization. During the settlement of the transaction, the issuerprocessor communicates with the host of reward benefits via the rewardredemption platform to deduct the redeemed benefits from the rewardaccount of the user and transmit a payment corresponding to the redeemedbenefits to the acquirer processor of the merchant.

In one embodiment, during the balance inquiry, the reward redemptionplatform and/or the reward host converts the balance to an equivalentaccount balance of the virtual account in a payment currency issued by agovernment (e.g., U.S. dollar). Thus, the transaction terminal of themerchant may initiate the payment transaction in the payment currency.

Alternatively, the virtual account may be configured to use a virtualcurrency corresponding to the reward currency provided by the rewardhost; and the reward currency is converted to a payment currency issuedby a government (e.g., U.S. dollar) during the settlement of the rewardredemption transaction; and the transaction initiated on the transactionterminal is specified in the virtual currency.

In one embodiment, when the authorization request is made in the rewardcurrency (e.g., points, miles, virtual currency), the authorizationresponse is configured to specify the transaction amount in a paymentcurrency issued by a government (e.g., U.S. dollar). The monetary valueof the redeemed reward benefits is communicated to the transactionterminal of the merchant via the authorization response. The settlementof transaction is based on the monetary value of the redeemed rewardbenefits specified in the authorization response. Since the conversionfrom the redeemed reward amount to a monetary value is postponed untilthe authorization is approved, the last conversion rate between thereward currency and the payment currency can be applied to theconversion during the authorization of the reward redemption. During theauthorization, the redeemed rewards are converted to an amount ofpayment currency and reserved for settlement.

In one embodiment, the authorization request for the reward redemptiontransaction and the settlement request for the reward redemptiontransaction are communicated via two passes of request/responsecommunications. In another embodiment, the authorization and settlementrequests of the reward redemption transaction are combined in the samemessages for one pass of request/response communications, communicatedbetween the transaction terminal of the merchant and the issuerprocessor of the virtual account.

As a result of the system, the reward redemption transaction can beperformed as a transaction in the virtual payment account in a waysimilar to a transaction in a typical consumer payment account. Thevirtual payment account can be set up prior to the transaction (e.g.,during the reward balance inquiry, or in response to a user request);and the issuer processor is configured to communicate with the rewardhost, preferably via a centralized reward redemption platform, toauthorize and/or settlement the requested redemption of rewards.

In one embodiment, after a merchant submits a request to get the balanceof a reward account of a user to a reward redemption platform, theplatform forwards the balance request to a rewards bank, which obtainsthe balance information and provides the balance information to thereward redemption platform. If the balance is greater than zero, thereward redemption platform submits a request for a private label paymentaccount number to an issuer processor, which in response allocates aprivate label payment account for the request and communicates theaccount information of the allocated private label payment account tothe reward redemption platform. The reward redemption platformassociates the reward account of the user with the allocated privatelabel payment account. After providing the account information and thebalance information to the merchant as a response to the balancerequest, the merchant may use the account information to initiate apayment transaction in the payment processing network in which theissuer processor is connected. When the issuer processor receives thetransaction request in the allocated private label payment account, theissuer processor communicates with the rewards bank, via the rewardredemption platform, to order the conversion of rewards to a payment tothe merchant. The payment is provided to the merchant from the issuerprocessor to the acquirer processor of the merchant in a way same as apayment is provided from a consumer payment account.

In one embodiment, a user may visit the portal of the reward redemptionplatform to look up the reward balance in the reward account of the userand/or request the private label payment account for the redemption ofrewards from the reward accounts. In one embodiment, the private labelpayment account may be linked to multiple reward accounts; and the usermay specify rules for the redemption of rewards from the multiple rewardaccounts. In one embodiment, an account identification device isprovided to the user to present the account information of the privatelabel payment account. The user may use the private label paymentaccount in a way similar to the use of a consumer payment account issuedto the user.

FIG. 2 shows a system to process reward redemption according to oneembodiment. In FIG. 2, a portal (143) is configured to communicate withthe merchant computer (501), the issuer processor (145) of virtualaccounts (or private label accounts) configured for reward redemptions,and one or more reward hosts (e.g., 513).

In one embodiment, the issuer processor (145) of the virtual accounts(or private label accounts) is implemented as a part of the transactionhandler (103) which interconnects acquirer processors (e.g., 147) andissuer processors on the payment processing network (e.g., illustratedin FIG. 5).

In FIG. 2, the issuer processor (145) is configured to allocate/generatea virtual account (523) (or private label account) in response to arequest from the portal (143).

For example, when the merchant computer (501) sends a reward balanceinquiry (503) to the portal (143), the portal (143) requests, via theaccount setup communication (515), a virtual account (523) for thereward account (525) identified in the reward balance inquiry (503), ifit does not already have an associated virtual account (523). In oneembodiment, the portal (143) is coupled with the data warehouse (149) tostore data associating the reward account (525) and the virtual account(523).

In FIG. 2, the portal (143) and the reward host (513) are configured toexchange reward balance communication (511) for reward accountsadministered on the reward host (513). In one embodiment, the virtualaccount (523) is requested if the balance of the respective rewardaccount (525) is above zero; and when the reward balance is zero, thevirtual account (523) is not requested.

In FIG. 2, in response to the reward balance inquiry (503), the portal(143) provides the balance response (505) that includes the rewardbalance (507) of the reward account (525) identified in the rewardbalance inquiry (503), and the account number (509) of the virtualaccount assigned, via the account setup communication (515), to thereward account (525) identified in the reward balance inquiry (503). Thereward balance (507) may be specified in terms of a payment currencyissued by a government (e.g., U.S. dollar), or the reward currencyidentified by the reward host (513).

The merchant computer (501) may present the reward balance (507) and beconfigured to allow the user to request the redemption of a rewardamount that does not exceed the reward balance (507). In one embodiment,the merchant computer (501) includes a transaction terminal (105)connected to the acquirer processor (147) of the merchant.

Using the account number (509), the transaction terminal (105) of themerchant can initiate an authorization communication (517) in thevirtual account (523) associated with the reward account (525).

In FIG. 2, the authorization communication (517) includes anauthorization request transmitted from the merchant computer (501) tothe issuer processor (145) via the acquirer processor (147) and thetransaction handler (103), and an authorization response transmittedfrom the issuer processor (145) to the merchant computer (501) via thetransaction handler (103) and the acquirer processor (147).

In FIG. 2, in response to the authorization request in the virtualaccount (523), the issuer processor (145) and portal (143) exchangereward redemption communication (519); and the portal (143) and thereward host (513) exchange the redemption communication (521).

In one embodiment, the portal (143) is configured to route theredemption request corresponding to the authorization request to thereward host (513) based on the association between the reward account(525) and virtual account (523) established via the account setupcommunication (515). In response to the redemption request, the rewardhost (513) is configured to reserve, deduct, and/or convert the redeemedrewards from the reward account (525). The portal (143) is configured topropagate the rejection or acceptation of the redemption request, fromthe reward host (513) to the issuer processor (145) via the rewardredemption communication (519) and the redemption communication (521).

Thus, with the pre-redemption arrangement to set up the virtual account(523) for association with the reward account (525) prior to the rewardredemption, and the redemption processing arrangement among the issuerprocessor (145), the portal (143) and the reward host (513), theredemption transaction can be performed via the payment processingnetwork, without modifications to the acquirer processor (147), and thetransaction handler (103).

FIG. 3 shows a method to process reward redemption according to oneembodiment. For example, the method of FIG. 3 can be implemented in asystem illustrated in FIG. 1 or 2.

In FIG. 3, a computer apparatus is configured to: receive (531) arequest for a reward balance of a reward account; associate (533) avirtual payment account with the reward account; provide (535) accountinformation of the virtual account and balance information of the rewardaccount in a response to the request; and in response to anauthorization request from an acquirer processor for a paymenttransaction in the virtual account, communicate (537) with the issuerprocessor of the virtual account and a host of the reward account toprovide a payment funded by the redeemed rewards to an acquirerprocessor via a payment processing network.

In one embodiment, the computing apparatus includes one or more of: theportal (143), the issuer processor (145), the transaction handler (145),the reward host (513), the data warehouse (149), the transactionterminal (105) and the merchant computer (501), each of which can beimplemented via one or more data processing systems illustrated FIG. 8.The computing apparatus can be further implemented, optionally, toperform other operations discussed below, such as the operationsdiscussed in the section entitled “SYSTEM.” Some of the hardwarearrangements are discussed in the sections entitled “CENTRALIZED DATAWAREHOUSE” and “HARDWARE.”

System

FIG. 4 illustrates a system to provide services based on transactiondata according to one embodiment. In FIG. 4, the system includes atransaction terminal (105) to initiate financial transactions for a user(101), a transaction handler (103) to generate transaction data (109)from processing the financial transactions of the user (101) (and thefinancial transactions of other users), a profile generator (121) togenerate transaction profiles (127) based on the transaction data (109)to provide information/intelligence about user preferences and spendingpatterns, a point of interaction (107) to provide information and/oroffers to the user (101), a user tracker (113) to generate user data(125) to identify the user (101) using the point of interaction (107), aprofile selector (129) to select a profile (131) specific to the user(101) identified by the user data (125), and an advertisement selector(133) to select, identify, generate, adjust, prioritize and/orpersonalize advertisements for presentation to the user (101) on thepoint of interaction (107) via a media controller (115).

In one embodiment, the system further includes a correlator (117) tocorrelate user specific advertisement data (119) with transactionsresulting from the user specific advertisement data (119). Thecorrelation results (123) can be used by the profile generator (121) toimprove the transaction profiles (127).

The transaction profiles (127) of one embodiment are generated from thetransaction data (109) in a way as illustrated in U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2010/0306029, entitled “Cardholder Clusters,” and U.S. Pat. App.Pub. No. 2010/0306032, entitled “Systems and Methods to SummarizeTransaction Data,” the disclosures of which applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment, a data warehouse (149) as illustrated in FIG. 5 iscoupled with the transaction handler (103) to store the transaction data(109) and other data, such as account data (111), transaction profiles(127) and correlation results (123). In FIG. 5, a portal (143) iscoupled with the data warehouse (149) to provide data or informationderived from the transaction data (109), in response to a query requestfrom a third party or as an alert or notification message.

In FIG. 5, the transaction handler (103) is coupled between an issuerprocessor (145) in control of a consumer account (146) and an acquirerprocessor (147) in control of a merchant account (148). An accountidentification device (141) is configured to carry the accountinformation (142) that identifies the consumer account (146) with theissuer processor (145) and provide the account information (142) to thetransaction terminal (105) of a merchant to initiate a transactionbetween the user (101) and the merchant.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate examples of transaction terminals (105) andaccount identification devices (141). FIG. 8 illustrates the structureof a data processing system that can be used to implement, with more orfewer elements, at least some of the components in the system, such asthe point of interaction (107), the transaction handler (103), theportal (143), the data warehouse (149), the account identificationdevice (141), the transaction terminal (105), the user tracker (113),the profile generator (121), the profile selector (129), theadvertisement selector (133), the media controller (115), etc. Someembodiments use more or fewer components than those illustrated in FIGS.4-8.

In one embodiment, the transaction data (109) relates to financialtransactions processed by the transaction handler (103); and the accountdata (111) relates to information about the account holders involved inthe transactions. Further data, such as merchant data that relates tothe location, business, products and/or services of the merchants thatreceive payments from account holders for their purchases, can be usedin the generation of the transaction profiles (127).

In one embodiment, the financial transactions are made via an accountidentification device (141), such as financial transaction cards (e.g.,credit cards, debit cards, banking cards, etc.); the financialtransaction cards may be embodied in various devices, such as plasticcards, chips, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, mobilephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.; and the financialtransaction cards may be represented by account identifiers (e.g.,account numbers or aliases). In one embodiment, the financialtransactions are made via directly using the account information (142),without physically presenting the account identification device (141).

Further features, modifications and details are provided in varioussections of this description.

Centralized Data Warehouse

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) maintains a centralizeddata warehouse (149) organized around the transaction data (109). Forexample, the centralized data warehouse (149) may include, and/orsupport the determination of, spending band distribution, transactioncount and amount, merchant categories, merchant by state, cardholdersegmentation by velocity scores, and spending within merchant target,competitive set and cross-section.

In one embodiment, the centralized data warehouse (149) providescentralized management but allows decentralized execution. For example,a third party strategic marketing analyst, statistician, marketer,promoter, business leader, etc., may access the centralized datawarehouse (149) to analyze customer and shopper data, to providefollow-up analyses of customer contributions, to develop propensitymodels for increased conversion of marketing campaigns, to developsegmentation models for marketing, etc. The centralized data warehouse(149) can be used to manage advertisement campaigns and analyze responseprofitability.

In one embodiment, the centralized data warehouse (149) includesmerchant data (e.g., data about sellers), customer/business data (e.g.,data about buyers), and transaction records between sellers and buyersover time. The centralized data warehouse (149) can be used to supportcorporate sales forecasting, fraud analysis reporting, sales/customerrelationship management (CRM) business intelligence, credit riskprediction and analysis, advanced authorization reporting, merchantbenchmarking, business intelligence for small business, rewards, etc.

In one embodiment, the transaction data (109) is combined with externaldata, such as surveys, benchmarks, search engine statistics,demographics, competition information, emails, etc., to flag key eventsand data values, to set customer, merchant, data or event triggers, andto drive new transactions and new customer contacts.

Transaction Profile

In FIG. 4, the profile generator (121) generates transaction profiles(127) based on the transaction data (109), the account data (111),and/or other data, such as non-transactional data, wish lists, merchantprovided information, address information, information from socialnetwork websites, information from credit bureaus, information fromsearch engines, and other examples discussed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2011/0054981, entitled “Analyzing Local Non-Transactional Data withTransactional Data in Predictive Models,” the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment, the transaction profiles (127) provide intelligenceinformation on the behavior, pattern, preference, propensity, tendency,frequency, trend, and budget of the user (101) in making purchases. Inone embodiment, the transaction profiles (127) include information aboutwhat the user (101) owns, such as points, miles, or other rewardscurrency, available credit, and received offers, such as coupons loadedinto the accounts of the user (101). In one embodiment, the transactionprofiles (127) include information based on past offer/coupon redemptionpatterns. In one embodiment, the transaction profiles (127) includeinformation on shopping patterns in retail stores as well as online,including frequency of shopping, amount spent in each shopping trip,distance of merchant location (retail) from the address of the accountholder(s), etc.

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) provides at least partof the intelligence for the prioritization, generation, selection,customization and/or adjustment of an advertisement for delivery withina transaction process involving the transaction handler (103). Forexample, the advertisement may be presented to a customer in response tothe customer making a payment via the transaction handler (103).

Some of the transaction profiles (127) are specific to the user (101),or to an account of the user (101), or to a group of users of which theuser (101) is a member, such as a household, family, company,neighborhood, city, or group identified by certain characteristicsrelated to online activities, offline purchase activities, merchantpropensity, etc.

In one embodiment, the profile generator (121) generates and updates thetransaction profiles (127) in batch mode periodically. In otherembodiments, the profile generator (121) generates the transactionprofiles (127) in real-time, or just in time, in response to a requestreceived in the portal (143) for such profiles.

In one embodiment, the transaction profiles (127) include the values fora set of parameters. Computing the values of the parameters may involvecounting transactions that meet one or more criteria, and/or building astatistically-based model in which one or more calculated values ortransformed values are put into a statistical algorithm that weightseach value to optimize its collective predictiveness for variouspredetermined purposes.

Further details and examples about the transaction profiles (127) in oneembodiment are provided in the section entitled “AGGREGATED SPENDINGPROFILE.”

In FIG. 4, an advertisement selector (133) prioritizes, generates,selects, adjusts, and/or customizes the available advertisement data(135) to provide user specific advertisement data (119) based at leastin part on the user specific profile (131). The advertisement selector(133) uses the user specific profile (131) as a filter and/or a set ofcriteria to generate, identify, select and/or prioritize advertisementdata for the user (101). A media controller (115) delivers the userspecific advertisement data (119) to the point of interaction (107) forpresentation to the user (101) as the targeted and/or personalizedadvertisement.

In one embodiment, the user data (125) includes the characterization ofthe context at the point of interaction (107). Thus, the use of the userspecific profile (131), selected using the user data (125), includes theconsideration of the context at the point of interaction (107) inselecting the user specific advertisement data (119).

In one embodiment, in selecting the user specific advertisement data(119), the advertisement selector (133) uses not only the user specificprofile (131), but also information regarding the context at the pointof interaction (107). For example, in one embodiment, the user data(125) includes information regarding the context at the point ofinteraction (107); and the advertisement selector (133) explicitly usesthe context information in the generation or selection of the userspecific advertisement data (119).

In one embodiment, the advertisement selector (133) may query forspecific information regarding the user (101) before providing the userspecific advertisement data (119). The queries may be communicated tothe operator of the transaction handler (103) and, in particular, to thetransaction handler (103) or the profile generator (121). For example,the queries from the advertisement selector (133) may be transmitted andreceived in accordance with an application programming interface orother query interface of the transaction handler (103), the profilegenerator (121) or the portal (143) of the transaction handler (103).

In one embodiment, the queries communicated from the advertisementselector (133) may request intelligence information regarding the user(101) at any level of specificity (e.g., segment level, individuallevel). For example, the queries may include a request for a certainfield or type of information in a cardholder's aggregated spendingprofile. As another example, the queries may include a request for thespending level of the user (101) in a certain merchant category over aprior time period (e.g., six months).

In one embodiment, the advertisement selector (133) is operated by anentity that is separate from the entity that operates the transactionhandler (103). For example, the advertisement selector (133) may beoperated by a search engine, a publisher, an advertiser, an ad network,or an online merchant. The user specific profile (131) is provided tothe advertisement selector (133) to assist in the customization of theuser specific advertisement data (119).

In one embodiment, advertising is targeted based on shopping patterns ina merchant category (e.g., as represented by a Merchant Category Code(MCC)) that has high correlation of spending propensity with othermerchant categories (e.g., other MCCs). For example, in the context of afirst MCC for a targeted audience, a profile identifying second MCCsthat have high correlation of spending propensity with the first MCC canbe used to select advertisements for the targeted audience.

In one embodiment, the aggregated spending profile is used to provideintelligence information about the spending patterns, preferences,and/or trends of the user (101). For example, a predictive model can beestablished based on the aggregated spending profile to estimate theneeds of the user (101). For example, the factor values and/or thecluster ID in the aggregated spending profile can be used to determinethe spending preferences of the user (101). For example, the channeldistribution in the aggregated spending profile can be used to provide acustomized offer targeted for a particular channel, based on thespending patterns of the user (101).

In one embodiment, mobile advertisements, such as offers and coupons,are generated and disseminated based on aspects of prior purchases, suchas timing, location, and nature of the purchases, etc. In oneembodiment, the size of the benefit of the offer or coupon is based onpurchase volume or spending amount of the prior purchase and/or thesubsequent purchase that may qualify for the redemption of the offer.Further details and examples of one embodiment are provided in U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2008/0201226, entitled “Mobile Coupon Method and PortableConsumer Device for Utilizing Same,” the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment, conditional rewards are provided to the user (101);and the transaction handler (103) monitors the transactions of the user(101) to identify redeemable rewards that have satisfied the respectiveconditions. In one embodiment, the conditional rewards are selectedbased on transaction data (109). Further details and examples of oneembodiment are provided in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2008/0082418,entitled “Consumer Specific Conditional Rewards,” the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The techniques todetect the satisfied conditions of conditional rewards can also be usedto detect the transactions that satisfy the conditions specified tolocate the transactions that result from online activities, such asonline advertisements, searches, etc., to correlate the transactionswith the respective online activities.

Further details about targeted offer delivery in one embodiment areprovided in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0030644, entitled “TargetedAdvertising by Payment Processor History of Cashless Acquired MerchantTransaction on Issued Consumer Account,” and in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2011/0035280, entitled “Systems and Methods for Targeted AdvertisementDelivery, the disclosures of which applications are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

Aggregated Spending Profile

In one embodiment, the characteristics of transaction patterns ofcustomers are profiled via clusters, factors, and/or categories ofpurchases. The transaction data (109) may include transaction records;and in one embodiment, an aggregated spending profile is generated fromthe transaction records to summarize the spending behavior reflected inthe transaction records, in a way illustrated in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2010/0306029, entitled “Cardholder Clusters,” and U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2010/0306032, entitled “Systems and Methods to Summarize TransactionData,” the disclosures of which applications are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

In one embodiment, each of the transaction records is for a particulartransaction processed by the transaction handler (103). Each of thetransaction records provides information about the particulartransaction, such as the account number of the consumer account (146)used to pay for the purchase, the date (and/or time) of the transaction,the amount of the transaction, the ID of the merchant who receives thepayment, the category of the merchant, the channel through which thepurchase was made, etc. Examples of channels include online, offlinein-store, via phone, etc. In one embodiment, the transaction records mayfurther include a field to identify a type of transaction, such ascard-present, card-not-present, etc.

In one embodiment, a “card-present” transaction involves physicallypresenting the account identification device (141), such as a financialtransaction card, to the merchant (e.g., via swiping a credit card at aPOS terminal of a merchant); and a “card-not-present” transactioninvolves presenting the account information (142) of the consumeraccount (146) to the merchant to identify the consumer account (146)without physically presenting the account identification device (141) tothe merchant or the transaction terminal (105).

In one embodiment, certain information about the transaction can belooked up in a separate database based on other information recorded forthe transaction. For example, a database may be used to storeinformation about merchants, such as the geographical locations of themerchants, categories of the merchants, etc. Thus, the correspondingmerchant information related to a transaction can be determined usingthe merchant ID recorded for the transaction.

In one embodiment, the transaction records may further include detailsabout the products and/or services involved in the purchase. Forexample, a list of items purchased in the transaction may be recordedtogether with the respective purchase prices of the items and/or therespective quantities of the purchased items. The products and/orservices can be identified via stock-keeping unit (SKU) numbers, orproduct category IDs. The purchase details may be stored in a separatedatabase and be looked up based on an identifier of the transaction.

When there is voluminous data representing the transaction records, thespending patterns reflected in the transaction records can be difficultto recognize by an ordinary person.

In one embodiment, the voluminous transaction records are summarizedinto aggregated spending profiles to concisely present the statisticalspending characteristics reflected in the transaction records. Theaggregated spending profile uses values derived from statisticalanalysis to present the statistical characteristics of transactionrecords of an entity in a way easy to understand by an ordinary person.

Details about aggregated spending profiles of some embodiments areprovided in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0306029, entitled “CardholderClusters,” and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0306032, entitled “Systemsand Methods to Summarize Transaction Data,” the disclosures of whichapplications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Transaction Data Based Portal

In FIG. 4, the transaction terminal (105) initiates the transaction fora user (101) (e.g., a customer) for processing by a transaction handler(103). The transaction handler (103) processes the transaction andstores transaction data (109) about the transaction, in connection withaccount data (111), such as the account profile of an account of theuser (101). The account data (111) may further include data about theuser (101), collected from issuers or merchants, and/or other sources,such as social networks, credit bureaus, merchant provided information,address information, etc. In one embodiment, a transaction may beinitiated by a server (e.g., based on a stored schedule for recurrentpayments).

Over a period of time, the transaction handler (103) accumulates thetransaction data (109) from transactions initiated at differenttransaction terminals (e.g., 105) for different users (e.g., 101). Thetransaction data (109) thus includes information on purchases made byvarious users (e.g., 101) at various times via different purchasesoptions (e.g., online purchase, offline purchase from a retail store,mail order, order via phone, etc.)

In one embodiment, the accumulated transaction data (109) and thecorresponding account data (111) are used to generate intelligenceinformation about the purchase behavior, pattern, preference, tendency,frequency, trend, amount and/or propensity of the users (e.g., 101), asindividuals or as a member of a group. The intelligence information canthen be used to generate, identify and/or select targeted advertisementsfor presentation to the user (101) on the point of interaction (107),during a transaction, after a transaction, or when other opportunitiesarise.

FIG. 5 shows a system to provide information based on transaction data(109) according to one embodiment. In FIG. 5, the transaction handler(103) is coupled between an issuer processor (145) and an acquirerprocessor (147) to facilitate authorization and settlement oftransactions between a consumer account (146) and a merchant account(148). The transaction handler (103) records the transactions in thedata warehouse (149). The portal (143) is coupled to the data warehouse(149) to provide information based on the transaction records, such asthe transaction profiles (127) or aggregated spending profile. Theportal (143) may be implemented as a web portal, a telephone gateway, afile/data server, etc.

In one embodiment, the portal (143) is configured to receive queriesidentifying search criteria from the profile selector (129), theadvertisement selector (133) and/or third parties and in response, toprovide transaction-based intelligence requested by the queries.

For example, in one embodiment, a query is to specify a plurality ofaccount holders to request the portal (143) to deliver the transactionprofiles (127) of account holders in a batch mode.

For example, in one embodiment, a query is to identify the user (101) torequest the user specific profile (131), or the aggregated spendingprofile, of the user (101). The user (101) may be identified using theaccount data (111), such as the account number, or the user data (125)such as browser cookie ID, IP address, etc.

For example, in one embodiment, a query is to identify a retaillocation; and the portal (143) is to provide a profile (e.g., 341) thatsummarizes the aggregated spending patterns of users who have shopped atthe retail location within a period of time.

For example, in one embodiment, a query is to identify a geographicallocation; and the portal (143) is to provide a profile (e.g., 341) thatsummarizes the aggregated spending patterns of users who have been to,or who are expected to visit, the geographical location within a periodof time (e.g., as determined or predicted based on the locations of thepoint of interactions (e.g., 107) of the users).

For example, in one embodiment, a query is to identify a geographicalarea; and the portal (143) is to provide a profile (e.g., 341) thatsummarizes the aggregated spending patterns of users who reside in thegeographical area (e.g., as determined by the account data (111), or whohave made transactions within the geographical area with a period oftime (e.g., as determined by the locations of the transaction terminals(e.g., 105) used to process the transactions).

In one embodiment, the portal (143) is configured to register certainusers (101) for various programs, such as a loyalty program to providerewards and/or offers to the users (101).

In one embodiment, the portal (143) is to register the interest of users(101), or to obtain permissions from the users (101) to gather furtherinformation about the users (101), such as data capturing purchasedetails, online activities, etc.

In one embodiment, the user (101) may register via the issuer; and theregistration data in the consumer account (146) may propagate to thedata warehouse (149) upon approval from the user (101).

In one embodiment, the portal (143) is to register merchants and provideservices and/or information to merchants.

In one embodiment, the portal (143) is to receive information from thirdparties, such as search engines, merchants, websites, etc. The thirdparty data can be correlated with the transaction data (109) to identifythe relationships between purchases and other events, such as searches,news announcements, conferences, meetings, etc., and improve theprediction capability and accuracy.

In FIG. 5, the consumer account (146) is under the control of the issuerprocessor (145). The consumer account (146) may be owned by anindividual, or an organization such as a business, a school, etc. Theconsumer account (146) may be a credit account, a debit account, or astored value account. The issuer may provide the consumer (e.g., user(101)) an account identification device (141) to identify the consumeraccount (146) using the account information (142). The respectiveconsumer of the account (146) can be called an account holder or acardholder, even when the consumer is not physically issued a card, orthe account identification device (141), in one embodiment. The issuerprocessor (145) is to charge the consumer account (146) to pay forpurchases.

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) is a plasticcard having a magnetic strip storing account information (142)identifying the consumer account (146) and/or the issuer processor(145). Alternatively, the account identification device (141) is asmartcard having an integrated circuit chip storing at least the accountinformation (142). In one embodiment, the account identification device(141) includes a mobile phone having an integrated smartcard.

In one embodiment, the account information (142) is printed or embossedon the account identification device (141). The account information(142) may be printed as a bar code to allow the transaction terminal(105) to read the information via an optical scanner. The accountinformation (142) may be stored in a memory of the accountidentification device (141) and configured to be read via wireless,contactless communications, such as near field communications viamagnetic field coupling, infrared communications, or radio frequencycommunications. Alternatively, the transaction terminal (105) mayrequire contact with the account identification device (141) to read theaccount information (142) (e.g., by reading the magnetic strip of a cardwith a magnetic strip reader).

In one embodiment, the transaction terminal (105) is configured totransmit an authorization request message to the acquirer processor(147). The authorization request includes the account information (142),an amount of payment, and information about the merchant (e.g., anindication of the merchant account (148)). The acquirer processor (147)requests the transaction handler (103) to process the authorizationrequest, based on the account information (142) received in thetransaction terminal (105). The transaction handler (103) routes theauthorization request to the issuer processor (145) and may process andrespond to the authorization request when the issuer processor (145) isnot available. The issuer processor (145) determines whether toauthorize the transaction based at least in part on a balance of theconsumer account (146).

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103), the issuer processor(145), and the acquirer processor (147) may each include a subsystem toidentify the risk in the transaction and may reject the transactionbased on the risk assessment.

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) includessecurity features to prevent unauthorized uses of the consumer account(146), such as a logo to show the authenticity of the accountidentification device (141), encryption to protect the accountinformation (142), etc.

In one embodiment, the transaction terminal (105) is configured tointeract with the account identification device (141) to obtain theaccount information (142) that identifies the consumer account (146)and/or the issuer processor (145). The transaction terminal (105)communicates with the acquirer processor (147) that controls themerchant account (148) of a merchant. The transaction terminal (105) maycommunicate with the acquirer processor (147) via a data communicationconnection, such as a telephone connection, an Internet connection, etc.The acquirer processor (147) is to collect payments into the merchantaccount (148) on behalf of the merchant.

In one embodiment, the transaction terminal (105) is a POS terminal at atraditional, offline, “brick and mortar” retail store. In anotherembodiment, the transaction terminal (105) is an online server thatreceives account information (142) of the consumer account (146) fromthe user (101) through a web connection. In one embodiment, the user(101) may provide account information (142) through a telephone call,via verbal communications with a representative of the merchant; and therepresentative enters the account information (142) into the transactionterminal (105) to initiate the transaction.

In one embodiment, the account information (142) can be entered directlyinto the transaction terminal (105) to make payment from the consumeraccount (146), without having to physically present the accountidentification device (141). When a transaction is initiated withoutphysically presenting an account identification device (141), thetransaction is classified as a “card-not-present” (CNP) transaction.

In one embodiment, the issuer processor (145) may control more than oneconsumer account (146); the acquirer processor (147) may control morethan one merchant account (148); and the transaction handler (103) isconnected between a plurality of issuer processors (e.g., 145) and aplurality of acquirer processors (e.g., 147). An entity (e.g., bank) mayoperate both an issuer processor (145) and an acquirer processor (147).

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103), the issuer processor(145), the acquirer processor (147), the transaction terminal (105), theportal (143), and other devices and/or services accessing the portal(143) are connected via communications networks, such as local areanetworks, cellular telecommunications networks, wireless wide areanetworks, wireless local area networks, an intranet, and Internet. Inone embodiment, dedicated communication channels are used between thetransaction handler (103) and the issuer processor (145), between thetransaction handler (103) and the acquirer processor (147), and/orbetween the portal (143) and the transaction handler (103).

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) uses the data warehouse(149) to store the records about the transactions, such as thetransaction records or transaction data (109). In one embodiment, thetransaction handler (103) includes a powerful computer, or cluster ofcomputers functioning as a unit, controlled by instructions stored on acomputer readable medium.

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) is configured tosupport and deliver authorization services, exception file services, andclearing and settlement services. In one embodiment, the transactionhandler (103) has a subsystem to process authorization requests andanother subsystem to perform clearing and settlement services.

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) is configured toprocess different types of transactions, such credit card transactions,debit card transactions, prepaid card transactions, and other types ofcommercial transactions.

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) facilitates thecommunications between the issuer processor (145) and the acquirerprocessor (147).

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) is coupled to theportal (143) (and/or the profile selector (129), the advertisementselector (133), the media controller (115)) to charge the fees for theservices of providing the transaction-based intelligence informationand/or advertisement.

For example, in one embodiment, the system illustrated in FIG. 4 isconfigured to deliver advertisements to the point of interaction (107)of the user (101), based on the transaction-based intelligenceinformation; and the transaction handler (103) is configured to chargethe advertisement fees to the account of the advertiser in communicationwith the issuer processor in control of the account of the advertiser.The advertisement fees may be charged in response to the presentation ofthe advertisement, or in response to the completion of a pre-determinednumber of presentations, or in response to a transaction resulted fromthe presentation of the advertisement. In one embodiment, thetransaction handler (103) is configured to a periodic fee (e.g., monthlyfee, annual fee) to the account of the advertiser in communication withthe respective issuer processor that is similar to the issuer processor(145) of the consumer account (146).

For example, in one embodiment, the portal (143) is configured toprovide transaction-based intelligence information in response to thequeries received in the portal (143). The portal (143) is to identifythe requesters (e.g., via an authentication, or the address of therequesters) and instruct the transaction handler (103) to charge theconsumer accounts (e.g., 146) of the respective requesters for thetransaction-based intelligence information. In one embodiment, theaccounts of the requesters are charged in response to the delivery ofthe intelligence information via the portal (143). In one embodiment,the accounts of the requesters are charged a periodic subscription feefor the access to the query capability of the portal (143).

In one embodiment, the information service provided by the systemillustrated in FIG. 4 includes multiple parties, such as one entityoperating the transaction handler (103), one entity operating theadvertisement data (135), one entity operating the user tracker (113),one entity operating the media controller (115), etc. The transactionhandler (103) is used to generate transactions to settle the fees,charges and/or divide revenues using the accounts of the respectiveparties. In one embodiment, the account information of the parties isstored in the data warehouse (149) coupled to the transaction handler(103). In some embodiments, a separate billing engine is used togenerate the transactions to settle the fees, charges and/or dividerevenues.

In one embodiment, the transaction terminal (105) is configured tosubmit the authorized transactions to the acquirer processor (147) forsettlement. The amount for the settlement may be different from theamount specified in the authorization request. The transaction handler(103) is coupled between the issuer processor (145) and the acquirerprocessor (147) to facilitate the clearing and settling of thetransaction. Clearing includes the exchange of financial informationbetween the issuer processor (145) and the acquirer processor (147); andsettlement includes the exchange of funds.

In one embodiment, the issuer processor (145) is to provide funds tomake payments on behalf of the consumer account (146). The acquirerprocessor (147) is to receive the funds on behalf of the merchantaccount (148). The issuer processor (145) and the acquirer processor(147) communicate with the transaction handler (103) to coordinate thetransfer of funds for the transaction. In one embodiment, the funds aretransferred electronically.

In one embodiment, the transaction terminal (105) may submit atransaction directly for settlement, without having to separately submitan authorization request.

In one embodiment, the portal (143) provides a user interface to allowthe user (101) to organize the transactions in one or more consumeraccounts (146) of the user with one or more issuers. The user (101) mayorganize the transactions using information and/or categories identifiedin the transaction records, such as merchant category, transaction date,amount, etc. Examples and techniques in one embodiment are provided inU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007/0055597, entitled “Method and System forManipulating Purchase Information,” the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment, the portal (143) provides transaction basedstatistics, such as indicators for retail spending monitoring,indicators for merchant benchmarking, industry/market segmentation,indicators of spending patterns, etc. Further examples can be found inU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0048884, entitled “Merchant BenchmarkingTool,” the disclosure of which application is hereby incorporated hereinby reference.

Transaction Terminal

FIG. 6 illustrates a transaction terminal according to one embodiment.In FIG. 6, the transaction terminal (105) is configured to interact withan account identification device (141) to obtain account information(142) about the consumer account (146).

In one embodiment, the transaction terminal (105) includes a memory(167) coupled to the processor (151), which controls the operations of areader (163), an input device (153), an output device (165) and anetwork interface (161). The memory (167) may store instructions for theprocessor (151) and/or data, such as an identification that isassociated with the merchant account (148).

In one embodiment, the reader (163) includes a magnetic strip reader. Inanother embodiment, the reader (163) includes a contactless reader, suchas a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, a near fieldcommunications (NFC) device configured to read data via magnetic fieldcoupling (in accordance with ISO standard 14443/NFC), a Bluetoothtransceiver, a WiFi transceiver, an infrared transceiver, a laserscanner, etc.

In one embodiment, the input device (153) includes key buttons that canbe used to enter the account information (142) directly into thetransaction terminal (105) without the physical presence of the accountidentification device (141). The input device (153) can be configured toprovide further information to initiate a transaction, such as apersonal identification number (PIN), password, zip code, etc. that maybe used to access the account identification device (141), or incombination with the account information (142) obtained from the accountidentification device (141).

In one embodiment, the output device (165) may include a display, aspeaker, and/or a printer to present information, such as the result ofan authorization request, a receipt for the transaction, anadvertisement, etc.

In one embodiment, the network interface (161) is configured tocommunicate with the acquirer processor (147) via a telephoneconnection, an Internet connection, or a dedicated data communicationchannel.

In one embodiment, the instructions stored in the memory (167) areconfigured at least to cause the transaction terminal (105) to send anauthorization request message to the acquirer processor (147) toinitiate a transaction. The transaction terminal (105) may or may notsend a separate request for the clearing and settling of thetransaction. The instructions stored in the memory (167) are alsoconfigured to cause the transaction terminal (105) to perform othertypes of functions discussed in this description.

In one embodiment, a transaction terminal (105) may have fewercomponents than those illustrated in FIG. 6. For example, in oneembodiment, the transaction terminal (105) is configured for“card-not-present” transactions; and the transaction terminal (105) doesnot have a reader (163).

In one embodiment, a transaction terminal (105) may have more componentsthan those illustrated in FIG. 6. For example, in one embodiment, thetransaction terminal (105) is an ATM machine, which includes componentsto dispense cash under certain conditions.

Account Identification Device

FIG. 7 illustrates an account identifying device according to oneembodiment. In FIG. 7, the account identification device (141) isconfigured to carry account information (142) that identifies theconsumer account (146).

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) includes amemory (167) coupled to the processor (151), which controls theoperations of a communication device (159), an input device (153), anaudio device (157) and a display device (155). The memory (167) maystore instructions for the processor (151) and/or data, such as theaccount information (142) associated with the consumer account (146).

In one embodiment, the account information (142) includes an identifieridentifying the issuer (and thus the issuer processor (145)) among aplurality of issuers, and an identifier identifying the consumer accountamong a plurality of consumer accounts controlled by the issuerprocessor (145). The account information (142) may include an expirationdate of the account identification device (141), the name of theconsumer holding the consumer account (146), and/or an identifieridentifying the account identification device (141) among a plurality ofaccount identification devices associated with the consumer account(146).

In one embodiment, the account information (142) may further include aloyalty program account number, accumulated rewards of the consumer inthe loyalty program, an address of the consumer, a balance of theconsumer account (146), transit information (e.g., a subway or trainpass), access information (e.g., access badges), and/or consumerinformation (e.g., name, date of birth), etc.

In one embodiment, the memory includes a nonvolatile memory, such asmagnetic strip, a memory chip, a flash memory, a Read Only Memory (ROM),etc. to store the account information (142).

In one embodiment, the information stored in the memory (167) of theaccount identification device (141) may also be in the form of datatracks that are traditionally associated with credits cards. Such tracksinclude Track 1 and Track 2. Track 1 (“International Air TransportAssociation”) stores more information than Track 2, and contains thecardholder's name as well as the account number and other discretionarydata. Track 1 is sometimes used by airlines when securing reservationswith a credit card. Track 2 (“American Banking Association”) iscurrently most commonly used and is read by ATMs and credit cardcheckers. The ABA (American Banking Association) designed thespecifications of Track 1 and banks abide by it. It contains thecardholder's account number, encrypted PIN, and other discretionarydata.

In one embodiment, the communication device (159) includes asemiconductor chip to implement a transceiver for communication with thereader (163) and an antenna to provide and/or receive wireless signals.

In one embodiment, the communication device (159) is configured tocommunicate with the reader (163). The communication device (159) mayinclude a transmitter to transmit the account information (142) viawireless transmissions, such as radio frequency signals, magneticcoupling, or infrared, Bluetooth or WiFi signals, etc.

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) is in theform of a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. The inputdevice (153) can be used to provide input to the processor (151) tocontrol the operation of the account identification device (141); andthe audio device (157) and the display device (155) may present statusinformation and/or other information, such as advertisements or offers.The account identification device (141) may include further componentsthat are not shown in FIG. 7, such as a cellular communicationssubsystem.

In one embodiment, the communication device (159) may access the accountinformation (142) stored on the memory (167) without going through theprocessor (151).

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) has fewercomponents than those illustrated in FIG. 7. For example, an accountidentification device (141) does not have the input device (153), theaudio device (157) and the display device (155) in one embodiment; andin another embodiment, an account identification device (141) does nothave components (151-159).

For example, in one embodiment, an account identification device (141)is in the form of a debit card, a credit card, a smartcard, or aconsumer device that has optional features such as magnetic strips, orsmartcards.

An example of an account identification device (141) is a magnetic stripattached to a plastic substrate in the form of a card. The magneticstrip is used as the memory (167) of the account identification device(141) to provide the account information (142). Consumer information,such as account number, expiration date, and consumer name may beprinted or embossed on the card. A semiconductor chip implementing thememory (167) and the communication device (159) may also be embedded inthe plastic card to provide account information (142) in one embodiment.In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) has thesemiconductor chip but not the magnetic strip.

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) is integratedwith a security device, such as an access card, a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, a security card, a transponder, etc.

In one embodiment, the account identification device (141) is a handheldand compact device. In one embodiment, the account identification device(141) has a size suitable to be placed in a wallet or pocket of theconsumer.

Some examples of an account identification device (141) include a creditcard, a debit card, a stored value device, a payment card, a gift card,a smartcard, a smart media card, a payroll card, a health care card, awrist band, a keychain device, a supermarket discount card, atransponder, and a machine readable medium containing accountinformation (142).

Point of Interaction

In one embodiment, the point of interaction (107) is to provide anadvertisement to the user (101), or to provide information derived fromthe transaction data (109) to the user (101).

In one embodiment, an advertisement is a marketing interaction which mayinclude an announcement and/or an offer of a benefit, such as adiscount, incentive, reward, coupon, gift, cash back, or opportunity(e.g., special ticket/admission). An advertisement may include an offerof a product or service, an announcement of a product or service, or apresentation of a brand of products or services, or a notice of events,facts, opinions, etc. The advertisements can be presented in text,graphics, audio, video, or animation, and as printed matter, webcontent, interactive media, etc. An advertisement may be presented inresponse to the presence of a financial transaction card, or in responseto a financial transaction card being used to make a financialtransaction, or in response to other user activities, such as browsing aweb page, submitting a search request, communicating online, entering awireless communication zone, etc. In one embodiment, the presentation ofadvertisements may be not a result of a user action.

In one embodiment, the point of interaction (107) can be one of variousendpoints of the transaction network, such as point of sale (POS)terminals, automated teller machines (ATMs), electronic kiosks (orcomputer kiosks or interactive kiosks), self-assist checkout terminals,vending machines, gas pumps, websites of banks (e.g., issuer banks oracquirer banks of credit cards), bank statements (e.g., credit cardstatements), websites of the transaction handler (103), websites ofmerchants, checkout websites or web pages for online purchases, etc.

In one embodiment, the point of interaction (107) may be the same as thetransaction terminal (105), such as a point of sale (POS) terminal, anautomated teller machine (ATM), a mobile phone, a computer of the userfor an online transaction, etc. In one embodiment, the point ofinteraction (107) may be co-located with, or near, the transactionterminal (105) (e.g., a video monitor or display, a digital sign), orproduced by the transaction terminal (e.g., a receipt produced by thetransaction terminal (105)). In one embodiment, the point of interaction(107) may be separate from and not co-located with the transactionterminal (105), such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, apersonal computer of the user, a voice mail box of the user, an emailinbox of the user, a digital sign, etc.

For example, the advertisements can be presented on a portion of mediafor a transaction with the customer, which portion might otherwise beunused and thus referred to as a “white space” herein. A white space canbe on a printed matter (e.g., a receipt printed for the transaction, ora printed credit card statement), on a video display (e.g., a displaymonitor of a POS terminal for a retail transaction, an ATM for cashwithdrawal or money transfer, a personal computer of the customer foronline purchases), or on an audio channel (e.g., an interactive voiceresponse (IVR) system for a transaction over a telephonic device).

In one embodiment, the white space is part of a media channel availableto present a message from the transaction handler (103) in connectionwith the processing of a transaction of the user (101). In oneembodiment, the white space is in a media channel that is used to reportinformation about a transaction of the user (101), such as anauthorization status, a confirmation message, a verification message, auser interface to verify a password for the online use of the accountinformation (142), a monthly statement, an alert or a report, or a webpage provided by the portal (143) to access a loyalty program associatedwith the consumer account (146) or a registration program.

In other embodiments, the advertisements can also be presented via othermedia channels which may not involve a transaction processed by thetransaction handler (103). For example, the advertisements can bepresented on publications or announcements (e.g., newspapers, magazines,books, directories, radio broadcasts, television, digital signage, etc.,which may be in an electronic form, or in a printed or painted form).The advertisements may be presented on paper, on websites, onbillboards, on digital signs, or on audio portals.

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) purchases the rights touse the media channels from the owner or operators of the media channelsand uses the media channels as advertisement spaces. For example, whitespaces at a point of interaction (e.g., 107) with customers fortransactions processed by the transaction handler (103) can be used todeliver advertisements relevant to the customers conducting thetransactions; and the advertisement can be selected based at least inpart on the intelligence information derived from the accumulatedtransaction data (109) and/or the context at the point of interaction(107) and/or the transaction terminal (105).

In general, a point of interaction (e.g., 107) may or may not be capableof receiving inputs from the customers, and may or may not co-locatedwith a transaction terminal (e.g., 105) that initiates the transactions.The white spaces for presenting the advertisement on the point ofinteraction (107) may be on a portion of a geographical display space(e.g., on a screen), or on a temporal space (e.g., in an audio stream).

In one embodiment, the point of interaction (107) may be used toprimarily to access services not provided by the transaction handler(103), such as services provided by a search engine, a social networkingwebsite, an online marketplace, a blog, a news site, a televisionprogram provider, a radio station, a satellite, a publisher, etc.

In one embodiment, a consumer device is used as the point of interaction(107), which may be a non-portable consumer device or a portablecomputing device. The consumer device is to provide media content to theuser (101) and may receive input from the user (101).

Examples of non-portable consumer devices include a computer terminal, atelevision set, a personal computer, a set-top box, or the like.Examples of portable consumer devices include a portable computer, acellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a securitycard, a wireless terminal, or the like. The consumer device may beimplemented as a data processing system as illustrated in FIG. 8, withmore or fewer components.

In one embodiment, the consumer device includes an accountidentification device (141). For example, a smart card used as anaccount identification device (141) is integrated with a mobile phone,or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

In one embodiment, the point of interaction (107) is integrated with atransaction terminal (105). For example, a self-service checkoutterminal includes a touch pad to interact with the user (101); and anATM machine includes a user interface subsystem to interact with theuser (101).

Hardware

In one embodiment, a computing apparatus is configured to include someof the modules or components illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, such as thetransaction handler (103), the profile generator (121), the mediacontroller (115), the portal (143), the profile selector (129), theadvertisement selector (133), the user tracker (113), the correlator,and their associated storage devices, such as the data warehouse (149).

In one embodiment, at least some of the modules or componentsillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, such as the transaction handler (103), thetransaction terminal (105), the point of interaction (107), the usertracker (113), the media controller (115), the correlator (117), theprofile generator (121), the profile selector (129), the advertisementselector (133), the portal (143), the issuer processor (145), theacquirer processor (147), and the account identification device (141),can be implemented as a computer system, such as a data processingsystem illustrated in FIG. 8, with more or fewer components. Some of themodules may share hardware or be combined on a computer system. In oneembodiment, a network of computers can be used to implement one or moreof the modules.

Further, the data illustrated in FIG. 4, such as transaction data (109),account data (111), transaction profiles (127), and advertisement data(135), can be stored in storage devices of one or more computersaccessible to the corresponding modules illustrated in FIG. 4. Forexample, the transaction data (109) can be stored in the data warehouse(149) that can be implemented as a data processing system illustrated inFIG. 8, with more or fewer components.

In one embodiment, the transaction handler (103) is a payment processingsystem, or a payment card processor, such as a card processor for creditcards, debit cards, etc.

FIG. 8 illustrates a data processing system according to one embodiment.While FIG. 8 illustrates various components of a computer system, it isnot intended to represent any particular architecture or manner ofinterconnecting the components. One embodiment may use other systemsthat have fewer or more components than those shown in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 8, the data processing system (170) includes an inter-connect(171) (e.g., bus and system core logic), which interconnects amicroprocessor(s) (173) and memory (167). The microprocessor (173) iscoupled to cache memory (179) in the example of FIG. 8.

In one embodiment, the inter-connect (171) interconnects themicroprocessor(s) (173) and the memory (167) together and alsointerconnects them to input/output (I/O) device(s) (175) via I/Ocontroller(s) (177). I/O devices (175) may include a display deviceand/or peripheral devices, such as mice, keyboards, modems, networkinterfaces, printers, scanners, video cameras and other devices known inthe art. In one embodiment, when the data processing system is a serversystem, some of the I/O devices (175), such as printers, scanners, mice,and/or keyboards, are optional.

In one embodiment, the inter-connect (171) includes one or more busesconnected to one another through various bridges, controllers and/oradapters. In one embodiment the I/O controllers (177) include a USB(Universal Serial Bus) adapter for controlling USB peripherals, and/oran IEEE-1394 bus adapter for controlling IEEE-1394 peripherals.

In one embodiment, the memory (167) includes one or more of: ROM (ReadOnly Memory), volatile RAM (Random Access Memory), and non-volatilememory, such as hard drive, flash memory, etc.

Volatile RAM is typically implemented as dynamic RAM (DRAM) whichrequires power continually in order to refresh or maintain the data inthe memory. Non-volatile memory is typically a magnetic hard drive, amagnetic optical drive, an optical drive (e.g., a DVD RAM), or othertype of memory system which maintains data even after power is removedfrom the system. The non-volatile memory may also be a random accessmemory.

The non-volatile memory can be a local device coupled directly to therest of the components in the data processing system. A non-volatilememory that is remote from the system, such as a network storage devicecoupled to the data processing system through a network interface suchas a modem or Ethernet interface, can also be used.

In this description, some functions and operations are described asbeing performed by or caused by software code to simplify description.However, such expressions are also used to specify that the functionsresult from execution of the code/instructions by a processor, such as amicroprocessor.

Alternatively, or in combination, the functions and operations asdescribed here can be implemented using special purpose circuitry, withor without software instructions, such as using Application-SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC) or Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).Embodiments can be implemented using hardwired circuitry withoutsoftware instructions, or in combination with software instructions.Thus, the techniques are limited neither to any specific combination ofhardware circuitry and software, nor to any particular source for theinstructions executed by the data processing system.

While one embodiment can be implemented in fully functioning computersand computer systems, various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a computing product in a variety of forms and are capableof being applied regardless of the particular type of machine orcomputer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

At least some aspects disclosed can be embodied, at least in part, insoftware. That is, the techniques may be carried out in a computersystem or other data processing system in response to its processor,such as a microprocessor, executing sequences of instructions containedin a memory, such as ROM, volatile RAM, non-volatile memory, cache or aremote storage device.

Routines executed to implement the embodiments may be implemented aspart of an operating system or a specific application, component,program, object, module or sequence of instructions referred to as“computer programs.” The computer programs typically include one or moreinstructions set at various times in various memory and storage devicesin a computer, and that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors in a computer, cause the computer to perform operationsnecessary to execute elements involving the various aspects.

A machine readable medium can be used to store software and data whichwhen executed by a data processing system causes the system to performvarious methods. The executable software and data may be stored invarious places including for example ROM, volatile RAM, non-volatilememory and/or cache. Portions of this software and/or data may be storedin any one of these storage devices. Further, the data and instructionscan be obtained from centralized servers or peer to peer networks.Different portions of the data and instructions can be obtained fromdifferent centralized servers and/or peer to peer networks at differenttimes and in different communication sessions or in a same communicationsession. The data and instructions can be obtained in entirety prior tothe execution of the applications. Alternatively, portions of the dataand instructions can be obtained dynamically, just in time, when neededfor execution. Thus, it is not required that the data and instructionsbe on a machine readable medium in entirety at a particular instance oftime.

Examples of computer-readable media include but are not limited torecordable and non-recordable type media such as volatile andnon-volatile memory devices, read only memory (ROM), random accessmemory (RAM), flash memory devices, floppy and other removable disks,magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media (e.g., Compact DiskRead-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs), etc.), amongothers. The computer-readable media may store the instructions.

The instructions may also be embodied in digital and analogcommunication links for electrical, optical, acoustical or other formsof propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc. However, propagated signals, such as carrier waves,infrared signals, digital signals, etc. are not tangible machinereadable medium and are not configured to store instructions.

In general, a machine readable medium includes any mechanism thatprovides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) information in a formaccessible by a machine (e.g., a computer, network device, personaldigital assistant, manufacturing tool, any device with a set of one ormore processors, etc.).

In various embodiments, hardwired circuitry may be used in combinationwith software instructions to implement the techniques. Thus, thetechniques are neither limited to any specific combination of hardwarecircuitry and software nor to any particular source for the instructionsexecuted by the data processing system.

OTHER ASPECTS

The description and drawings are illustrative and are not to beconstrued as limiting. The present disclosure is illustrative ofinventive features to enable a person skilled in the art to make and usethe techniques. Various features, as described herein, should be used incompliance with all current and future rules, laws and regulationsrelated to privacy, security, permission, consent, authorization, andothers. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thoroughunderstanding. However, in certain instances, well known or conventionaldetails are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description.References to one or an embodiment in the present disclosure are notnecessarily references to the same embodiment; and, such references meanat least one.

The use of headings herein is merely provided for ease of reference, andshall not be interpreted in any way to limit this disclosure or thefollowing claims.

Reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,and are not necessarily all referring to separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, variousfeatures are described which may be exhibited by one embodiment and notby others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may berequirements for one embodiment but not other embodiments. Unlessexcluded by explicit description and/or apparent incompatibility, anycombination of various features described in this description is alsoincluded here.

The disclosures of the above discussed patent documents are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evidentthat various modifications may be made thereto without departing fromthe broader spirit and scope as set forth in the following claims. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: providing a portal in anelectronic payment processing network having a plurality of separatecomputing systems coupled with computer networks, the plurality ofseparate computing systems including a plurality of acquirer processors,a plurality of issuer processors and a transaction handlerinterconnecting the plurality of acquirer processors and the pluralityof issuer processors; receiving, in the portal, a balance request from atransaction terminal for a balance of a reward account identified viathe balance request; in response to the balance request, communicatingby the portal with a reward host to obtain the balance of the rewardaccount, communicating by the portal with a predetermined issuerprocessor to obtain an account number, storing by the portal dataassociating the account number with the reward account, andtransmitting, by the portal, a response to the balance request, whereinthe response includes the balance of the reward account and the accountnumber and the transaction terminal is configured to initiate a paymenttransaction in the electronic payment processing network using theaccount number provided in the response; and in response to anauthorization request received in the issuer processor for a paymenttransaction made using the account number, receiving, in the portal fromthe issuer processor, a communication identifying the paymenttransaction made using the account number, determining, by the portal,the reward account based on the data associating the account number withthe reward account, communicating, by the portal, with the reward hostto process a reward redemption from the reward account according to thepayment requested in the authorization request, and transmitting, by theportal to the issuer processor, a response to the communicatingregarding a result of the reward redemption, wherein the issuerprocessor is configured to provide an authorization response for theauthorization request based on the result of the reward redemption. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction terminal is configured togenerate the authorization request using the account number, transmitthe authorization request to an acquirer processor controlling amerchant account corresponding to the transaction terminal; wherein thetransaction handler is configured to route the authorization requestfrom the acquirer processor to the issuer processor according to theaccount number identified in the authorization request.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the transaction handler is configured to route theauthorization response from the issuer processor to the acquirerprocessor in the electronic payment processing network; and the acquirerprocessor is configured to further transmit the authorization responseto the transaction terminal.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinprocessing of the reward redemption at the reward host includesdeducting from the reward account rewards corresponding to a transactionamount of the payment transaction made using the account number.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the account number is for a virtual accountissued by the issuer processor.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thevirtual account is a one-time use account.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the account number is for a debit account issued by the issuerprocessor.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the account number is for aone-time use prepaid account issued by the issuer processor.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the issuer processor includes a moneytransfer bank.
 10. A comprising: at least one microprocessor; at leastone computer network interface connected, via one or more computernetworks, to a portal and an acquirer processor of an electronic paymentprocessing network having a plurality of separate computing systemscoupled with computer networks, the plurality of separate computingsystems including a plurality of acquirer processors, a plurality ofissuer processors and a transaction handler interconnecting theplurality of acquirer processors and the plurality of issuer processors;a memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least onemicroprocessor to: transmit, via the at least one computer networkinterface to the portal, a balance request for a balance of a rewardaccount identified via the balance request, wherein in response to thebalance request, the portal is configured to communicate with a rewardhost to obtain the balance of the reward account, communicate with apredetermined issuer processor to obtain an account number, store dataassociating the account number with the reward account, and transmit tothe transaction terminal a response to the balance request, wherein theresponse includes the balance of the reward account and the accountnumber; and responsive to the response to the balance request, extractthe account number from the response, generate an authorization requestfor a payment transaction in the electronic payment processing networkusing the account number provided in the response, and transmit theauthorization request to the issuer processor via the acquirer processorand the transaction handler in the electronic payment processingnetwork; wherein in response to the authorization request received inthe issuer processor for a payment transaction made using the accountnumber, the portal is configured to receive, from the issuer processor,a communication identifying the payment transaction made using theaccount number, determine the reward account based on the dataassociating the account number with the reward account, communicate withthe reward host to process a reward redemption from the reward accountaccording to the payment requested in the authorization request, andtransmit, to the issuer processor, a response to the communicatingregarding a result of the reward redemption, wherein the issuerprocessor is configured to provide an authorization response for theauthorization request based on the result of the reward redemption. 11.The transaction terminal of claim 10, further comprising: a userinterface, wherein the instructions are further configured to instructthe at least one microprocessor to present the balance of the rewardaccount on the user interface.
 12. The transaction terminal of claim 11,wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the at leastone microprocessor to receive a user input in the user interface, theuser input identifying an amount of rewards to be redeemed from thebalance of the reward account.
 13. The transaction terminal of claim 11,wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the at leastone microprocessor to receive a data input identifying the rewardaccount, prior to the balance request being transmitted from thetransaction terminal to the portal.
 14. The transaction terminal ofclaim 11, wherein the data input identifies a consumer payment accountissued by a second issuer processor.
 15. The transaction terminal ofclaim 14, wherein the instructions are further configured to instructthe at least one microprocessor to, in response to the authorizationresponse, determine a balance of a purchase in view of the result of thereward redemption and generate a second authorization request for apayment transaction made in the consumer payment account for the balanceof the purchase.
 16. The transaction terminal of claim 15, wherein thesecond authorization request is generated in response to theauthorization response without requesting account information betweenthe receiving of the authorization response and the transmitting of thesecond authorization request.
 17. The transaction terminal of claim 14,wherein the reward account is a first reward account; the portal storesregistration data associating the consumer payment account with aplurality of reward accounts, including the first reward account. 18.The transaction terminal of claim 17, wherein the user interface isconfigured to present balances of the plurality of reward accountsreceived in the response to the balance request.
 19. A portal,comprising: at least one computer networking interface to communicatewith a reward host and a transaction terminal configured in anelectronic payment processing network that has a plurality of separatecomputing systems coupled with computer networks, the plurality ofseparate computing systems including a plurality of acquirer processors,a plurality of issuer processors and a transaction handlerinterconnecting the plurality of acquirer processors and the pluralityof issuer processors; at least one microprocessor; and a memory storinginstructions configured to instruct the at least one microprocessor toreceive, in the portal, a balance request from a transaction terminalfor a balance of a reward account identified via the balance request; inresponse to the balance request, communicate by the portal with a rewardhost to obtain the balance of the reward account, communicate by theportal with a predetermined issuer processor to obtain an accountnumber, store by the portal data associating the account number with thereward account, and transmit, by the portal, a response to the balancerequest, wherein the response includes the balance of the reward accountand the account number and the transaction terminal is configured toinitiate a payment transaction in the electronic payment processingnetwork using the account number provided in the response; and inresponse to an authorization request received in the issuer processorfor a payment transaction made using the account number, receive, in theportal from the issuer processor, a communication identifying thepayment transaction made using the account number, determine, by theportal, the reward account based on the data associating the accountnumber with the reward account, communicate, by the portal, with thereward host to process a reward redemption from the reward accountaccording to the payment requested in the authorization request, andtransmit, by the portal to the issuer processor, a response to thecommunicating regarding a result of the reward redemption, wherein theissuer processor is configured to provide an authorization response forthe authorization request based on the result of the reward redemption.20. The portal of claim 19, wherein the memory of the portal furtherstores registration data associating the account identifier of aconsumer account with the reward account; the balance request includesthe account identifier of the consumer account; and in response to thebalance request identifying the account identifier of the consumeraccount, the portal is configured via the instructions to determine thereward account from the registration data.